I have always given advice on pipemaking matters freely since and
before I turned professional in 1978. You can give advice as much as
you like but that does not mean that makes any one a better pipemaker
as that depends on the individuals skill, aesthetic and business
ability whether they take work away from you if you are confident in
your own ability. This old attitude of secrecy holds back the
development of particular skills especially in a traditional activity
like pipemaking where making fortunes through patenting ideas is not
likely to happen as in other industries.
As Technical Adviser to the NPS until I retired I frequently gave out
information on materials and techniques in the aim of improving the
standard of pipemaking generally. My own income never suffered as a
result.
Colin R
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Salter <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:05
Subject: [NSP] Pipemaking thread from NPS group
I have been an amateur pipemaker for most of my adult life(quite a
long
time now). My problem has always, without exception, been lack of
good
information. Pipemakers are, a LITTLE understandably, a secretive
bunch. I started out with the cocks and bryan book and the wilbert
garvin book. Anyone I asked advice from was suddenly too busy to be
able to chat. I have given up and gone back to this hobby a great
many
times. Only now, a great number of years later, can I comfortably go
out and make the wooden parts I need well. Keymaking is still a lost
art to me although Im working on that. The arrival of a nice old
myford
lathe in my workshop I can turn the metal parts I need as well as the
wood. There will be no giving this up now whether anyone is prepared
to help me now or not.
I dont mean this to be about the nsp in particular, its about
pipemakers in general. They wish to protect their income I suppose.
Some sort of information should be recorded for posterity and to
encourage more amateurs to have a go. Mike Nelsons site is very good
but is sadly incomplete. Its a fun and rewarding hobby which will
stay
with me for the rest of my life
Bob
--
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
